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Welcome to our Information For Authors hub. In these pages we’ve gathered together all the information and advice you’ll need as an author, editor or contributor from the start of the process – submitting a proposal – through to publication and beyond.

Inspec database quality

Inspec prides itself on the quality and the integrity of its data. It is world-renowned for its comprehensiveness of coverage, and has achieved ISO 9001:2000 accreditation for the quality of its production process.

See also

Data validation and checking

Inspec is one of the most respected databases in the information business, and this reputation is due largely to the quality of the indexing. To ensure knowledgeable, consistent indexing, Inspec's indexers are subject specialists. In addition, the scope of the indexing has grown since the inception of the file to include not only the usual Thesaurus Term and Classification Code indexes, but also the Uncontrolled Index Terms, Treatment codes, Chemical Substance Indexing, Numerical Data Indexing, Astronomical Object Indexing and IPC Patent Codes.

Inspec prides itself not only on the provision of rigorous indexing, but also strives to achieve the quality and integrity of all the data. Extensive computer validation procedures are used to ensure that the database is nearly error-free. For many fields, the entries are checked against an authority file.

Fields such as Thesaurus Terms, Classification, Journal Names, Author Affiliation, Language, and Country of Publication all have authority files. For fields where it is not possible to create an authority file, field size and format checks are made. For instance in fields which contain a date, only valid dates are allowed. In the Author Name field, the format of the data is checked to ensure that the surname comes first.

Database corrections

Inspec operates a stringent quality assurance procedure, but inevitably there are occasions where errors and omissions do occur. To correct inaccurate Inspec records we provide a correction service, and this is issued to Inspec vendors regularly.

Recommendation of new publications

We are currently evaluating potential submissions for potential inclusion in Inspec in 2017, and are in the process of preparing guidance for publishers. If you would like to be considered for inclusion, please review our Content Acquisition policy and contact Content Acquisition team at inspec.submissions@theiet.org and we will contact you to discuss the matter in due course.